Moderator: Is it possible to ask to have a song removed for its content? I transcribed this one, but would LOVE for it to be removed for its content. Such songs as this don't deserve to be translated IMHO.

I might get hate from saying this but from what you had said... Another term for a white person hanging a black person and asking him to choose his noose (if we are talking about White Supremacists or however you spell it here) it would be called lynching.

Yes, exactly Poke! I want this song removed. Can I ask for it to be deleted. Such songs are banned in the USA. (Of course anyone can get them on the black market or on the internet.) But, I don't believe they should be on this forum. Due to content. I have asked for a moderator to remove the song entirely. Still no response.

It's true such songs are banned but sometimes they are still kept around for historical reasons (no matter how offensive they are now or were back then). I could understand it if it was a very old song but as for this one.... It makes it hard for me to give a reason to keep this song.

Please, can you provide a legal reference to this song, or similar songs, being "banned in the USA"? I could understand songs not being aired on radio or TV, but a blanket ban in a country with freedom of speech in its Constitution would create a huge legal precedence I was completely unaware of.

I don't know about the US - here in Germany, some albums (always full albums, never individual songs, and also only specific editions of albums) can be decided by a court to be forbidden to be sold either to minors or at all. When at all, then mostly because of nazi-content. It's not that common to happen, though, as first someone needs to complain, then it needs to go through court, and as I implied, if a new edition of that same album is made with even minute differences that new version is legal and would need to go through the same process.
Would be interesting to know about the situation in the US.

It's similar in my country, which has a shared history with Germany in that respect. Most Americans who know and understand their first amendment are usually surprised we have such laws in a democracy (although I'm not saying historical reasons fail to justify it).

Radios and TV stations have their own codes and may not air a song or restrict it to certain times, but I do not believe US law, and the US Constitution itself, allow an outright ban on a song's content. My belief is based on the first amendment; if someone can come up with contrary rulings by, for example, the SCOTUS, I'm all ears, but... I was surprised at hearing something as counterintuitive as "songs are banned in the US" coming without a legal corroboration, that is all.

LOL, you have never heard of the USA banning anything in violation of the US Constitution. Well, historically that's hilarious. But, it is true that there are protections giving people the "freedom of expression" and "freedom of speech". However, we also have "hate speech" and "pornography" laws which can ban things. Cited example: Blondie's "Heart of Glass" had to edit out the line "Once I had a love, and it was a gas. Soon turned out to be a pain in the ass." (It was available only on the Album, with a "Warning to Minors" on the cover.) Of course time moves on, and now "ass" and "shit" are no longer words that have to be deleted, as obscene. Still, today, routinely words are "beeped" out of songs, to avoid being banned from the radio.
However, these laws apply to Network TV and Public Radio. It does NOT apply to cable TV or Satellite Radio which are free to air whatever they want.
However, "hate speech" is banned throughout the USA. It comes from a Supreme Court ruling where a man incited his followers to hate and injure black people. Some of his followers did so, and were arrested and tried. He was also tried, but he claimed that he had the Right to Freedom of Expression. He was found guilty! Because under US laws, if a person's speech incites others to do violence, their speech itself is considered part of the crime, and therefore illegal. The Supreme Court cited a law from more than 100 years ago, before electricity when fires caused many deaths, that although a person has the right to free speech, a person cannot scream out "Fire!" in a crowded building where there is no fire, to incite panic. In this case, the person who screams "Fire!" is legally responsible for any injury sustained by people who are hurt trying to flee a building that is NOT on fire.
Laws such as these make radio and tv stations legally responsible if anyone commits a crime based upon the songs they play, so most would NOT dare play such a song as this. Because if any crazy person were to actually hang someone, and claim that this song caused them to do it, and they heard this song on your radio station...well, legally your radio station is up shit's creek.
One note here: During the 70s when Charles Manson sent his followers to kill people, he cited the Beatles "Helter Skelter" as the cause. However, he was crazy. Radio stations are not responsible if a crazy person listens to a song and hears voices. Nothing in Helter Skelter said "kill rich people". This song however, tells the listener, "choose the rope that you'll be hanged by, you have many choices - but they're all rope and curled." Sounds awful to me from my perspective. I won't bicker about the other lines, which an editor has changed.

In US, in 2018, you can get elected a senator after:
Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. She faces sharp criticism for a video that surfaced of her praising a supporter at a Nov. 2 campaign event in Tupelo by saying: "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row."

Put that in a song and let's test the heights of hypocrisy...

Phil has all the right notions, but he needs to realize that it's a stretch regarding this particular song. Meanwhile, he is getting traction and five-star votes on his translations that possibly would be otherwise overlooked - WTG!

Well I have found multiple websites that have multiple lists and reasons why songs would be banned. Mainly the "banning" happens on radio stations but there are far too many radio stations in the US to list here. The most recent example of "banning from the air waves" is the old Christmas song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" because of the lyrics. The lyrics were alright when it first came out in the 1940's but now... It pretty much sounds like the male singer is forcing the female singer to stay at his place (because it is cold outside) and is not taking no for an answer. He even offers her a drink (that may or may not be drugged) to convince her to stay at his place. Ever heard of stranger danger lady? Anyway another reason why the song could be getting so much "hate" is because of the so called #metoo movement. Regardless of the reasons, the US can not play or air any song that they want because there ARE rules.

This song is NOT historical. It is modern hate speech and is generally banned, except in forums where only like-minded people would go, like cockroaches live in the shadows. This song deserves to be relegated to the shadows.

Phil, i think if the song was racist, we would find someone protesting it. I found no references to believe it is racist so unless you did, I have to say that suicide is how I also understood the noose lines.

If you hadn't added the comment I would have had no idea that this could be a racist song in any way - and even with it, I find it quite hard to interpret it that way. The bit in the 3rd footnote slightly seems like it, but I have never heard that metaphor before, so I don't know whether it actually means it. And even then it would not make sense as it refers to the same person as having become a skinhead and as to be hanged.
Seems to me rather like a depressed piece of social criticism. Could you please explain why you think it is a racist song?

Also, I'm against unpublishing anything for its content, but perhaps you can convince some other mod to do so.

I would like to add that actually the verse with the 3rd footnote is probably incorrect. I think they're actually singing "a shot in the head", no "to shine your head", which would support the theory of this being more of a social criticism song. Without the skin-head element it's really hard for me to see how this song could be race related.

They sing "a shot in the head". The song is something between psychedelic and progressive rock. They never sing about social issues. The song is about suicidal thoughts. Depression. We can't delete songs because some users start imagining things. I don't see any reference to lynching. What an idea, of all things!

Genre does not necessarily define content (albeit some may claim that content defines genre). And depression is a social issue as well, and may be caused by social issues. And some parts of the text seem to refer to not only internal problems. But probably a matter of interpretation.
I would agree that it most certainly doesn't refer to lynching, but quite possibly about being driven to commit suicide.

I can not decide what the wording means, but if somebody who has made a transcription believes it would preferable to delete his transcription he should get the possibility to do that.
Perhaps one could also do a research about the groups image.

This is not a debate on the rights of the submitter. Here, it is the much more important discussion of stating the song is racist based on the poorly transcribed and heartily misunderstood lyrics. Mind you, I read tons of obscene and violent songs I really wish to be deleted. This isn't one of them.

I understand, but if there as here is no translation and the the submitter wants to delete it, it should be made possible. On the other hand as submitter he should be in a position to delete the wordings by himself.

Hm such an interesting topic here .. And to say this song (in my humble opp of course) isn t in any way racist .. Like wtf ..
First paragraph makes a presentation 1st line
"Music for the moving age" (kinda states whom this song message targets , meaning the youths which mostly going trough the phase of shaping, changing beliefs and all that)

The 3th and 4th lines arises a question "how would you ever escape? (being related to the second line , escape the predictions , think on your own )
"How did you ever get away
Without signing your life away? Without givin up "

Second verse Clearly is targeting evolving and perspective stating that "there's more than war goin along "
"There's more than the door to hell coming on." More than the hell fires /door it'll open /Fires of hell gonna be on earth

"Revolution costs you an arm and a leg" (In some coubntry as we still know people mouth are still shut down with brutal force, so these two lines, ilustrates just that , in a more tragic way of course than it really is nowadays but still , aproaches the subject of peeps protesting , statin their minds and being reduced to silence )
"Revolution cost you a shot in the head"

Last verse the chorus i think , states clearly that you must, you will have to choose, make your mind , play a part in, at maturity , unlike a lil kid, you have better perspective , lots of choices, decisions, to do and is best to Pick your noose (here i tink is alike Stick ya noose in /like the affairs ,things .., intrude in) and Choose (alike not let others say shi* , predictions , insuflate beliefs in ya mind ...or shut ya mouth etc )
You'll have to choose.
Now that you are growing up now,
You got a lot o' choices.

I was talkin about this song here "Pick Your Noose" a song that clearly isn t racist .. it is ful of message , presents perspective on war and what it can mean , can happen , encourages at free , and own thinking noy acceptin others thinkin for you ... etc (as i see it of course )

Phil, here you go again, you do not acknowledge mistakes in transcription calling it editor's rewrite. As painful it is, listen to the track to see how few words can completely change meaning. If you use revision compare, you will see how little was changed if one does not account for your editorial remarks...

Sorry I am late on replying. And it looks like I caused a lot of trouble (especially for Phil). I'm sorry. I was only going by what Phil was saying (at the time) as well as looking at the lyrics that were there at the time. I did not listen to the song itself either (which I probably should have if it was in English). Sorry everybody

Funny story though. I tried looking up the term "Pick Your Noose" and all I could find suggested to me was "did you mean 'pick your nose'?" And "is it a bad idea to pick your nose?" Even a Wiki page with a guy shown picking his nose!

As for the "Hole in the Head" comment, I was actually expecting to get a lot of hate on LT for adding a song by Nickelback called "Another Hole in the Head" (I think that was the title of the song) just because of the title alone! But I'm glad that I didn't get the hate that I was expecting to get from it.

A "hole in the head" means nothing. It's an expression, "I need that like I need another hole in my head." (You have holes in your head normally, ears, nostrils, a mouth, even sockets for the eyes.) That has no implied meaning. However, this song, which is a play on words (Normally, "pick your nose", trying to remove a booger, and this crap "pick your noose" = "choose the rope that someone will hang you with". Despite attempts to sanitize this song, for reasons beyond my understanding, the implied notion, is the same "choose the rope that someone will hang you with", and the song goes on to say, "you have choices, but they're all rope and curled". Well, figuratively (with the editor changed it to), or literally (which was my original) changes nothing. I have listened to the song again, and although the editor hears the words being drowned out by the blaring music differently. I'm not willing to concede that the alternate version is the proper one. I admit my mistakes, but as for this song, "Pick the rope that I'll hang you with" isn't deep societal poetry. It's a play on words changing "boogers" to "lynching" either figuratively or actually. I owe no one an apology for asking this to be removed. But, I accept the site's decision not to remove it. So don't expect an apology from me for this crap. All I did was ask if it could be removed for the content which exists in it. And, while the editor changed my footnote to "cells inside the brain", that's purely the editor's interpretation. It makes much more sense to say (as I did) "prison cells". A difference in opinion and interpretation saved that one. But, no amount of interpretation can change the theme of this song, which is "choose the rope that someone (most likely "I") will lynch you with." No apologies to you, or the editor who sanitized the song.

Yeah I already knew what "hole in the head" meant. I'm not expecting any apologises from anybody either (but I welcome any unexpected apologises though). At the end of the day, I'm out voted on this website on what to keep and on what NOT TO keep and therefore I had very little say in this matter. Regardless of what this song is talking about, I have heard FAR worse songs than this one in my lifetime that I wanted to never hear again *coughs* obvious auto tuned voices *cough* *cough*. Whenever I see or hear a song that I don't like I just turn the radio station or ignore the song completely. Such as the over covered Christmas songs that come on the radio stations EVERY SINGLE YEAR!

Clearly you all have a full blown discussion going on here, but my first thought on this was that it’s equivalent to “pick your poison”. Nothing suicidal, just acknowledging that we all die someday and you just have to pick your life path.

"Pick your poison" as an idiom has nothing to do with suicide. By that logic, a noose is just as legitimate a tool for suicide. It simply means that you decide between two unpleasant (NOT lethal) choices. But everyone sees (and hears) what they want to see (and hear).

Well, guys, I've removed my notes about suicidal thoughts. This song has caused so much turmoil that I used my gray cells and remembered my degree in text analysis and this is what I make of the content.

The band is addressing a teenager "on the threshold of the dazzling adult world".

Music for the moving age - The age when teenagers leave their homes to start living on their own (high school, college etc.)

Compared to a carefree life as a child you have to enter the adult society now and accept its rigid rules that impose certain social roles. What are you heading for? A financial tycoon to roll in the stuff, a lawyer to exercise power over other people, a social rebel to indulge in martyrdom, a homemaker, a pop star, a teacher or a nobody - it all takes their toll on you. Choosing your path you sign your life away to the society which dictates the norms and rules. You can't get away.

There's more than war in the cells going on.There's more than the door to hell coming on.
Revolution costs you an arm and a leg Revolution costs you a shot in the head

This change is so drastic that it's like a revolution which may change your way of thinking, your outlook, it may cost you severe wounds or even your life. Be ready to face hell.

Pick your noose. You'll have to choose. Now that you are growing up now,
You got a lot o' choices. They're all roving around Pick your noose.

You're growing and sooner or later you'll have to accept this adult world with its social roles. Which way you look or go it'll be a trap, a noose because from then on you'll have to stay within your social role limits. The roles are many and each is a noose which won't set you free. But you have freedom of choice. You can choose among many a trap available on the social market.
So feel free and pick your noose!